The Clueless Approach to Running a Football Club

A brutal truth from THBN. When perception rules over strategy, collapse is inevitable. Read the full article on why fan-led thinking is holding Spurs back.

Why Fan-Led Thinking Is Holding Tottenham Hotspur Back

Welcome to another pure THBN gold article: controversial, cutting, and brutally honest.

It’s time for the reckoning.

This third article in The Reddit Experiment Series flips the entire fan narrative on its head.

Because for once, we’re not talking about managers.

We’re not talking about owners.

We’re not even talking about players.

We’re talking about the one group that never gets held to account.

The fans.

Yes — the people who demand standards from everyone except themselves.

The people who scream about culture…

…but cling to the very mindset that’s held the club back for 17 years domestically — and 41 years in Europe.

The same fans who say they want change —

as long as they don’t have to change anything about the way they think.

This article is going to upset them.

That’s fine.

Because comfort zones don’t win trophies.
Accountability does.

And that’s what’s missing in the stands, online, and across social media.

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🎭 Fans Don’t Deal in Truth — They Deal in Perception

“Perception is reality.” — Lee Atwater, political strategist

You want to understand the modern football fan?

Start with that quote.

Because this isn’t about truth.

It’s about what feels true.

Facts don’t matter.

Results don’t matter.

Even trophies don’t matter — if they don’t feel like progress.

That’s the level we’re operating at.

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The modern fan doesn’t want understanding.

They want validation.

So when they see a YouTube creator say,

“Levy hasn’t signed any of Ange’s players!”

they don’t ask:

• Is that true?

• Is it backed by data?

• What context is missing?

They say:

“Finally! Someone who sees what I see!”

That’s not insight.

That’s emotional mirroring.

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Let’s be clear — the truth is simple:

• Ange Postecoglou was hired to rebuild.

• He always rebuilds through youth, energy, and future-proofing.

• He has signed exactly the kind of players that fit his model:

  Vicario, van de Ven, Udogie, Maddison, Johnson, Sarr, Bergvall, Veliz.

That’s not neglect.

That’s strategy.

But the fanbase doesn’t want to hear it.

Because it doesn’t feel like a “statement signing.”

And that’s all that matters to perception-led thinkers.

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🤡 The Dad’s Army Mentality: “We’re Gonna Fail! Change Everything!”

We’re gonna fail! We’re gonna fail! Change everything!”

That’s not a tactical plan. v

That’s not a philosophy.

That’s a parody of a football club mindset.

It’s Clive Dunn’s Corporal Jones —

panicking in a crisis and making noise to look like action.

And it’s exactly how too many Spurs fans operate now.

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The cycle goes like this:

• Things get hard

• Results wobble

• Twitter/X turns toxic

• YouTubers fuel outrage

• The mob says: “Change the manager!”

No reflection.

No patience.

No recognition of what’s actually being built.

It’s emotion over evaluation.

Panic over process.

---

And ironically — they call that “demanding standards.”

But standards without vision is just chaos.

And that’s what we get:

A fanbase screaming for change

without having the stomach for what real change takes.

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🔁 Contradictions Everywhere

There’s a strange logic at play in the Spurs fanbase.

It collapses under the weight of its own contradictions — but nobody seems to notice.

Let me break it down for you:

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“We want a rebuild!”

But the moment a 19-year-old misplaces a pass?

“He’s not ready. Get rid. Not Spurs level.”

“He’s the cheap option.”

Juventus won 11 Serie A titles on the trot by picking up ‘cheap’ options as they targetted free transfers under Fabio Paratici’s guidance.

---

“We need to build a young team like Borussia Dortmund!”

But then they cry about the lack of marquee signings.

“Where’s our £100m statement player?”

“Where’s the superstar?”

They don’t want youth.

They want ego signings.

Names that look good in thumbnails and fantasy line-ups.

---

“We need a manager with a winning mentality!”

So they demand the sacking of a manager who…

Just won us our first European trophy in 41 years.

And who do they want instead?

Someone who’s never won anything.

Ever.

But hey — he feels like a good appointment.

And remember: in fan logic, feeling is what matters.

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“We want a new culture!”

No they don’t.

They want the same losing mentality…

…just delivered by someone new.

A manager who won’t ask them to change.

A squad that wins without growing pains.

A club that delivers progress with no discomfort.

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🧱 This Is Cultural Stagnation

What we’re dealing with isn’t just a run of poor results.

It’s not even a lack of trophies.

It’s cultural stagnation.

The club is trying to evolve.

The manager is building something bold.

But half the fanbase is locked in 2008 — emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.

They can’t move forward…

because they refuse to let go of what’s failed them for nearly two decades.

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Let me put it simply:

Cultural stagnation is like a pub singer demanding to headline Glastonbury

— because he’s been playing the same five songs in the same boozer for 17 years.

He’s not improving.

He’s not evolving.

But by God, he’s familiar.

That’s the modern Spurs fan’s comfort zone.

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They want change —

but only as long as they don’t have to change.

The harsh truth most fans won’t face. Growth demands discomfort. Real change demands inner change. But that’s where the resistance begins.

They want trophies —

but cling to the exact mentality that’s delivered nothing.

Progress feels too uncomfortable.

So they fight it — and dress that up as “passion” as “support.”

It’s not passion.

It’s fear disguised as loyalty.

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🌀 Why Fear of Change Holds Spurs Back – Spiritually, Psychologically, and Strategically

This isn’t just a football issue.

It’s a human issue.

And it’s killing Tottenham Hotspur’s progress.

There’s a principle — call it spiritual, psychological, or just plain logical:

What you resist… persists.

It’s known as the Law of Resistance.

And it’s exactly what defines this fanbase right now.

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They resist discomfort.

They resist patience.

They resist letting go of control.

And by doing so, they create more chaos.

They attract more of what they don’t want.

They feed the very narrative they claim to be fighting.

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🔄 The Law of Allowing – and the Fans’ Mental Block

Another principle:

The Law of Allowing — what you allow, flows. What you fight, festers.

Tottenham Hotspur are trying to grow.

The manager is trying to build something lasting.

The club is trying to move forward.

But the more the fanbase clings to the past…

…the more they choke the future.

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⚠️ The Low-Frequency Culture

In spiritual terms, fear vibrates low.

And low vibration attracts failure.

That’s not just mystical waffle —

it’s backed by psychology, performance science, and every leadership model that works.

You can’t move forward while staring in the rearview mirror.

You can’t create success while obsessing over what you fear losing.

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🎯 THBN Translation

You don’t need to believe in universal laws.

Just look at the past 17 years.

Every time Spurs try to change —

the fear-based fanbase resists.

And every time they resist —
progress collapses.

Resisting change doesn’t keep you safe.

It keeps you stuck.

And what’s stuck… doesn’t grow.

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📉 The Brennan Johnson Moment — Proof Fans Ignore

Still think fans don’t affect performance?

Let me take you back to Brennan Johnson.

The fanbase decided — early and loudly — that he wasn’t good enough.

No nuance. No context. Just perception.

“Not Spurs level.”

“He’s a flop.”

“Waste of money.”

That became the social media narrative.

And whether they meant to or not, tens of thousands of fans worldwide joined it.

One post at a time.

One sarcastic meme at a time.

One comment for the likes.

It became noise.

Then pressure.

Then poison.

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And then something happened.

Johnson scored.

He ran to the fans.

He stopped.

He gave one clap.

Then he turned his back…

…and walked away.

That wasn’t arrogance.

That wasn’t distance.

That was a message.

“I saw what you wrote. I felt what you did. And I’m not with you.”

Brennan Johnson didn’t just score — he responded. His one-clap walkaway said what words couldn’t. Spurs fans do impact players.

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📣 Fans Don’t Just Watch the Game — They Shape It

Brennan Johnson proved it.

Whether he intended to or not.

Social media impacts players.

It affects performance, mentality, confidence, and results.

So when fans say:

“It’s just my opinion. I’m just one voice.”

They’re lying to themselves.

You’re not one voice.

You’re part of a collective tone that’s visible to millions — including the players themselves.

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🤔 So why wouldn’t you want to paint a positive narrative?

If you really care…

If you really want to help…

If you really want better results…

Why wouldn’t you create belief instead of doubt?

Answer:

Because most fans don’t realise how much power they have.

Or worse — they do, and use it selfishly.

They want likes, retweets, and outrage traction.

They feed their ego while pretending they’re “just being honest.”

But honesty without awareness is just damage.

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🤡 They Don’t Want Truth. They Want Likes.

“You want the truth?”
“You can’t handle the truth.”

— Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men

That line wasn’t written for football.

But it might as well have been written for modern Spurs fans.

Because the average online fan doesn’t want the truth.

They want:

• Engagement

• Outrage traction

• A comment that pops on Reddit

• A tweet that gets shared more than it gets read

They’ll call it “insight.”

They’ll label it “speaking facts.”

But it’s just emotional venting dressed up as football analysis.

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🧠 They Think They’re Supporters — But Act Like Critics

They say they support the club.

But most of their content does the exact opposite.

They say:

“We want the truth from the club!”

But when someone gives it to them?

“No, not like that.”

“That’s too complex.”

“Make it simpler.”

“Make it emotional.”

It’s not truth they want.

It’s comfort.

They want to feel vindicated — not educated.

A sharp line from THBN’s latest piece. Modern fans aren’t looking for truth — they’re looking for emotional validation disguised as insight.

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📲 The Performative Supporter

Let’s be blunt.

These fans care more about their personal brand than the club’s long-term vision.

They chase:

• The dopamine hit of outrage

• The rush of likes

• The validation of echo chambers

Meanwhile, the club is trying to evolve.

The manager is trying to win.

And they’re actively getting in the way — while pretending they’re “just being real.”

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🧍‍♂️ This Isn’t About Stadium Fans — It’s About Social Media

Let’s make one thing clear:

When we talk about “the fan problem”,

we’re not talking about the people in the stadium.

Most match-going supporters are emotionally invested.

They sing. They travel. They suffer in silence.

The real problem?

The perception machines.
Reddit. Twitter/X. YouTube. Forums. WhatsApp groups.

The people who post non-stop, stir drama,

declare ultimatums after one bad half —

and drive the digital mood of the entire club.

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💻 Social Media Is the Modern Matchday

The days of thinking fans don’t influence outcomes are gone.

Players see your comments.

They feel the tone.

It’s not one person.

It’s a collective storm.

And in the absence of a strong club voice,

the loudest voices online shape the reality.

So no, this isn’t about 62,000 inside the stadium.

It’s about 5 million voices worldwide,

amplified through algorithms — for better or worse.

And right now, it’s mostly worse.

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📈 Building Doesn’t Go Straight Up

One of the biggest misunderstandings in modern football culture?

The belief that progress is linear.

That once you appoint the right manager,

buy the right players,

and say the right things…

…results should immediately rise.

Week after week. Month after month. Trophy after trophy.

But that’s not how anything works — in football, in business, in life.

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You want a rebuild?

Then understand this:

You have to tear down before you build.

Old mindsets.

Old behaviours.

Old habits of failure.

You don’t slap paint over rot.

You strip it back to the foundations.

And guess what?

That part?

It’s messy.

It’s painful.

It looks like regression… even when it isn’t.

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Growth is not clean.

It’s chaotic.

But it’s still growth.

Ange Postecoglou is two years into this job.

He’s already delivered a major European trophy — something no manager has done here in 41 years.

That’s not “not good enough.”

That’s ahead of schedule.

But if you’re judging a long-term project by short-term discomfort?

You’re not serious about success.

You’re addicted to drama.

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🧠 The Fan Mentality Must Evolve

Fans say the club needs a reset.

They say the squad needs a rebuild.

They say the board needs a rethink.

And maybe they’re right.

But here’s what no one wants to say out loud:

It’s the fan mentality that needs the biggest reset of all.

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You say you want a winning culture?

Then you need a winning mindset to match it.

That doesn’t mean clapping everything.

It doesn’t mean blind optimism.

It means:

• Thinking long-term

• Understanding discomfort

• Knowing when not to panic

• Asking better questions than “Who’s next?”

Because right now, Spurs are trying to grow…

…while dragging millions of fans who refuse to evolve.

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They want a new manager

— but not a new mindset.

They want a new team

— but not a new way of supporting it.

They want trophies

— without transforming the toxic culture that’s sabotaged us for decades.

They want change — as long as they don’t have to change.

And that’s why this club is constantly pulled between progress and paralysis.

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🔚 THBN: The Final Word

Reddit proved everything this article has said.

I posted a reasoned argument.

One that challenged tradition.

One that offered solutions.

One that thought bigger than just “buy better players.”

And what did they do?

They deleted it.

Not because it broke rules.

Not because it was spam.

But because it didn’t fit the comfort-first mindset of modern fandom.

They couldn’t argue with it — so they silenced it.

And in doing so, they proved my point more clearly than I ever could.

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They don’t want truth.

They want validation.

They want outrage.

They want to feel right — not be right.

They scream for transparency…

…then throw tantrums when the truth doesn’t flatter them.

They want change — but not growth.

They want passion — but not responsibility.

And above all, they can’t think beyond themselves.

That’s not how you support a modern football club.

That’s how you sabotage one.

A raw truth from THBN. Spurs fans demand honesty — but only when it aligns with their emotions. This is why perception beats reality in modern fandom.

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🎯 The THBN Closing Punchline

“If you want a club run by people who think like YouTubers, then don’t complain when it collapses like one.”

— Tottenham Hotspur Blog News

COYS 

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